the curses affect
by xoitsCASS
Summary: rumpelstiltskin wants revenge. to get it, he enchants a pair of handcuffs and locks regina and emma in them together, forcing the two together. what will happen between them, since they have to spend so much time together? rating may change later on.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: i just started watching the show a month ago and fell in love with regina (and swan queen), so this is how this fic was made. this just... randomly came to me one day, and I decided that I was going to write it out. enjoy.  
a/n2: this is my first ouat fic. swan queen. mentions of red queen, hunting queen and golden queen.  
a/n3: do review, please. it's my crack and inspiration. ;) **

* * *

_You and I get so_  
_damn dysfunctional_  
_we begin keeping score_

* * *

"What do you want, Miss Swan?

Regina's voice, though ever pleasant, takes on a sour note. Emma finds herself momentarily annoyed. Regina's standing in the foyer of her house, looking so put together, while Emma in her doorway, looking damaged.

"Is that how you're going to treat me after I saved your ass?"

Regina whips around to stare at the blonde with dark—practically black—crazed eyes. "I was doing fine. I could've easily won whatever was thrown at me." Her back aches for a second. "I had it under control. You're _they're_savior. Not mine." She runs a hand through her short, dark locks.

Emma's not buying that for a moment. "Dr. Whale had you pressed against a pillar when I got there," she reminds the other woman with a slight tone of smugness.

"I could have handled it, Miss Swan. I may not have magic, but I'm not totally useless with weaponry," she says darkly, wishing she had a sword, hell, even a knife, on her. "But Henry was in the crowd. I don't intend on hurting him." The _again_ hangs frozen and unspoken in the air.

Emma takes a breath, attempting to calm herself. "I still think you owe me something. An apology? Or, even better, how about, 'thank you?'"

Regina scoffs. "You want me to _apologize_ to you, after you come to my town and steal the one person in my life that I truly love? You want me to _thank_ you for warding of the crowd that wouldn't have formed if you just left town when I told you to?" She's in Emma's space now. "That will not happen, Miss Swan. If that's all you want, I suggest you leave my property."

"I—" Emma will never admit this to Regina, or anyone really, but she hates when the brunette is in such close proximity. She finds it hard to think. And breathe. So, she says the first thing that comes into her mind at Regina's words, "you're a bitch."

Regina seems dumbfounded for a moment, giving Emma a brief surge of pride, before composing her features once more. "Excuse me?" she growls.

"You, Regina Mills, are the biggest high-grade bitch I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. Not only did you ruin _my_ life, and the life of my whole fuckin' family, but you almost ruined _my_ son's life. And you're not even sorry. So, yeah. An apology would be nice and a thank you would be pretty fucking sweet, too." She and Regina are pretty much nose to nose by this point.

"Make accusations all you want, Miss Swan. No apologies are coming out of my mouth. That is a promise." She gives Emma her signature smirk.

Emma makes a noise of annoyance, feeling her anger rise as Regina simply leans against the door, still her hot self despite the fact that she was probably crying earlier, and looking like she truly doesn't give a fuck about anything. It annoys Emma beyond comprehension.

"I don't get it."

"Get what, Miss Swan?" Regina sighs in annoyance.

Emma searches for the right words. "How you're so comfortable with everything you did. I don't get it."

"It's not your business how _I_ feel about what I did, Miss Swan. You have the reason, I'm undoubtedly sure, so why does how I feel about this whole ordeal matter?"

"I just want some sense of relief. That maybe you feel bad or feel guilty for the shit you put us all through to get _your_ revenge. You ruined everyone's happiness to get back at Mar—Snow."

"Like I said, Miss Swan. It's not your business. And, I didn't get my revenge so my hard work was all for nothing," she snarls at the blonde, pushing Emma back from her space. "Don't assume you know me, Miss Swan. You only know one part of me, and that's the part I created for this world. You don't know anything." Her voice is so low, so dangerous.

Before Emma can answer, a knock on the door causes her to snap out of her mind and into her surroundings. Gripping the sword she stashed in a holder on her jeans, she goes to open the door. _Why am I protecting Regina?_ The question burns in her mind.

Emma notices Mr. Gold—or Rumpelstiltskin, she'll never get used to that one—and a very beautiful young woman beside him. Emma can see the girl is slightly confused, but not nervous in the least.

Regina straightens her back. "Ah, Rumpelstiltskin," she sneers. "To what do I owe _this _particular pleasure?" Emma makes a mental note to ask her about what she means by that later, but for now, she concentrates on the conversation. Regina's dark eyes land on the stunning girl beside him. "I see you and beautiful Belle have reunited. That's great, dear. I'm happy for you." A familiar smirk etches upon her features.

_Belle? _Emma thinks vaguely as she stares at Regina and Rumpelstiltskin in awe. Well, that's quite unexpected.

"I know you lied to me, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin says in a matter-of-fact tone. "You told me she died. I _mourned_her. And then I come to find you locked her up, before your curse! You couldn't of set her free and given her a new life?"

Regina shrugs, a gesture that Emma, before it, was sure Regina would never ever do. "She was an asset. I know if you had her, you'd never help me with the curse. And, be thankful she's alive, I could've killed her." Her eyes blaze now. "Who told you?"

Her question ignored, Belle puts her hand on Rumpelstiltskin's arm, attempting to calm him. "Don't give into your hate, Rumpel. Don't hurt Regina or Emma," she murmurs soothingly.

Emma stands still for a second, shell-shocked. Rumpelstiltskin actually listens to Belle, and Emma just stares.

"I won't hurt them," he promises and before Emma and Regina can do—or say—anything in response, handcuffs are slapped on both their wrists. "This, dearie, is my payback. Her Majesty may not have her magic, but I do. The cuffs are enchanted, dearies. It can only be unlocked by _my_ magic. And, if either one of you gets hurt—or feels pleasure, discomfort—the other will feel it. Think of it as… an unwilling bond, of sorts." He grins evilly.

"Why are you getting payback on me?" Emma screeches, narrowing her eyes at the man. "I did nothing wrong. If it wasn't for me, Belle wouldn't even know you fucking exist."

Regina's jaw unhinges. "Yes, why _are_ you seeking payback from Miss Swan, Rumpelstiltskin? It's a curious thought, considering she is your savior, too." She looks at Belle, her gaze darkening. "Yours too, dear." She really doesn't believe Emma is any kind of savior, but she wants to get out of this mess and if pleading about Emma's savior-like abilities is the only way to do it, so be it.

"Because she's helping you, dearie, and I know being handcuffed to her for as long as I see fit will be payback. In fact, it's a rewarding way to get payback without violence." He smirks now, getting in Regina's personal space. "You're lucky I promised Belle earlier that I would not hurt you, because believe me, I want to."

His voice is low, lower than Emma has ever heard it, and far more dangerous. The normally chipper-voiced man and his change of tone unnerves her. "Okay," Emma finds herself saying. "What do we have to do to get out of this shit? I'm not in the mood to be handcuffed to her. If I wouldn't be hurting myself in the process, I'd chop her arm off so I can be free."

"Classy," Regina sneers.

Rumpelstiltskin laughs, leading Belle at the door. "Have fun, dearie. Enjoy your new accessory." And he's gone, nowhere in sight.

Regina slams the door out of rage; fully aware that Emma's wrist is probably in pain from all the moving around she's doing. Fortunately for Regina, she doesn't really care whether or not Emma is in discomfort. This whole thing is a wild disaster.

She stands still, and she and Emma just look at each other for a moment. Neither of them turns away, but they don't look each other in the eyes either. The silence is louder than it was when people were talking; full of white noise and static in their ears.

"What are we going to do about this?" Regina breaks the silence first, her dark, stormy eyes nearing toward Emma's much lighter ones.

Emma opens her mouth to speak but she closes it again, very much resembling a fish. "I—" She bites down on her bottom lip, meeting Regina's gaze for a few beats before her eyes dart down to the metal attached to their wrists, conjoining their bodies. "I really have no idea. This is bullshit. I could kill him."

"You and I both," Regina growls, her fingers flying to the handcuffs. She studies them, and she sees no difference than the ones that Graham had, that she remembers. But then again, enchantments are normally invisible. "I swear when I get out of this, I really will kill him." She's deadly serious, too. No way is she going to let that little imp get away with this unharmed. She, too, will have her revenge.

Emma shivers, not doubting Regina's promise for a second. "Let's just… try to deal." It's a pathetic excuse for a suggestion, but it's the only thing that pops into her mind as she looks up at Regina's face.

"Try to deal," Regina repeats. "I can't stand being within ten feet of you, Miss Swan, much less being barely two feet apart. How will I use the washroom? How will I shower?"

Emma bites her bottom lip once more. _I didn't think of that,_ she thinks begrudgingly. It will be awkward, indeed. With a sigh, Emma decides she doesn't want to fight the whole time they're in this situation. So, she says, "on the plus side, no one will hurt you if they know that it will hurt me as well," to try to lighten the mood.

"I suppose," Regina says absent-mindedly. She looks out the window. "It's getting dark."

Emma nods. "It is. I should contact my par—no, it's still too weird. I should call or go see Snow and James so they know the… predicament we're in. You never know if an angry mob might come back."

"I hardly think calling them will get the point across on how crucial it is that this be fixed," Regina says, making a show of dangling their arms in the air to prove her already solid point.

"So… we're going to see them?"

"Isn't that what I just said, Miss Swan?" Annoyance seeps through every pore of Regina's.

Emma grumbles and goes for the doorknob. "You don't have to be a bitch. You're not the only one in this, you know. Come on." She tugs on their handcuffs, forcing Regina forward.

Unfortunately, Emma underestimates just how light Regina really is—she may be small, but she has muscle—and Regina falls forward. Instinctively, Emma reaches out and she catches the brunette before she falls to the floor. Emma's hand is now on Regina's hip, while Regina's hands are on her thigh. It's an uncomfortable position, and Emma hates the warm feeling in the pit of her stomach at the contact.

"Sorry," Emma murmurs as she let's Regina go. Regina simply looks at Emma in complete disdain as she rips her fingers away from Emma's thighs—but not before she allows them to lightly graze over her hip.

"Perhaps you should allow me to follow behind you on my own accord, Miss Swan, instead of pulling me." Regina's voice is calm, cool and collected. Not the least bit awkward.

"I said I was sorry," Emma snaps. "Now will you please hurry up before it gets completely dark and we can't see where we're going?" She's getting impatient now, and she even taps her foot.

Regina smirks. "Patience is a virtue, dear." But she walks out of the house anyway, closing the door behind her. "Let's make this quick. I don't want to do this anymore than you do."

"You could try being nice for once, Regina."

"Being nice to a person implies that I care about their feelings, Miss Swan. And I don't care about yours."

_Ouch, low blow. _"Well, you can at least pretend while around everyone else so they're willing to help us," she grounds out, annoyed at herself for the hurt bubbling to the surface over her comment.

"Do be quiet, Miss Swan, and get a move on. I'd like to get this over with before nightfall."

* * *

"What is _she_ doing here?"

As soon as Emma and Regina walk into Granny's, everyone turns to look at them. From how they're standing, it makes it look like they're holding hands.

"Rumpelstiltskin placed an enchantment on this pair of handcuffs," Regina says before Emma gets a chance to. She nudges her chin toward the metal on their respective wrists. "And we can't remove them without his magic." When no one says anything, Regina continues, unfazed. "And neither of us can get hurt, because the other will feel it. It's a strange bond enchantment. I've heard of it, but I've never seen it done. Some witches do it to their children to get them to get along."

The crowd stares at the former Mayor, clearly dumbfounded by her words. She just looks at them, feigning innocence. "Well, now that you all know, I suppose Miss Swan and I can go back to my mansion."

"Hold on."

Snow White comes to the middle of the diner, directly in front of Emma and Regina.

"Why did he do this?"

Emma looks at Regina, as if to say, _I'm not getting you out of this._ Regina hardly heeds her look and simply answers, "I locked up his love so he's getting revenge in a way that won't break his promise to her—which is being non-violent—and a way to still get me back."

"His _love_?" It's Leroy who asks this. Go figure. "He has a love? Rumpelstiltskin, the golden creep, has a love?"

"She's quite lovely, actually," Regina says absently. She feels herself slowly slipping back into the personality of The Evil Queen, her wit coming through. "Her name means beauty."

Red perks up. She knows who Regina's talking about. She's seen the girl quite a few times. "Wait, Rumpelstiltskin and _Belle_?"

"Duh," Henry says, glaring at Regina. "My mo—I mean, The Evil Queen told Rumpelstiltskin that Belle was dead after he rejected her and set her free, when in fact, she was locked in The Evil Queen's tower."

Everyone heard Henry's slip up, but no one comments on it. Although, a small triumphant look crosses Regina's face. He still considers her his mother, after all of this. That means something, right?

"We didn't come here for gossip," Emma growls. "We came here to fix this problem." She waves her and Regina's hands in the air, much to Regina's chagrin.

"Would you stop that, Miss Swan," Regina mutters, rubbing at her sore—and quite red—wrist, feeling indents from the metal on her creamy flesh.

Emma huffs. "We need someone to convince Mr. G—Rumpelstiltskin to set us free. Get his revenge some other way." Regina gives her a pointed look. "Or not at all," she adds.

"Why should we help?" Leroy asks, eyes narrowed on Regina. "She sent us here. She deserves to be punished." People gape at him, and Snow gives him a disapproving look. A momentary look of shame crosses his face. "Fine, I'm in to help, only because the Princess is involved."

"He won't listen to anyone."

Everyone looks toward Cinderella, who is rocking her baby back and forth in her arms. "He's stubborn. He won't let up until he feels like Regina has suffered. Trust me, I've been in a situation with him. He's not the kind of person you'd want to anger, especially now that he has magic. I'd just… let it simmer."

As if a light bulb flashes atop Emma's head, she grins. "Maybe after a few days—or however long he needs—we can talk to Belle and try to get her to change his mind. He's completely whipped!"

"For a Princess, you are quite crass," Regina comments vaguely.

"For someone attached to a person who's _still_ saving your ass, you're a bitch."

Regina merely rolls her eyes. "Are we through here? I'd much rather be in my home than out with Miss Swan dangling on my arm." She goes to turn when she's wrenched back. "Would you _stop_ that?"

"What about Henry?"

Regina looks at Henry, and then at Emma. "I assume he doesn't want to come with us, since he'll be forced to once again share the same living environment as me." Hurt flashes over her features briefly before she shakes them off. Emma notices it, of course. "But if he wants to, I have no qualms."

Everyone turns their eyes toward Henry. "I—" He looks at Emma, and she nods her head slowly. "I'm coming with you guys." He trots over to Emma, staying on her side, firmly away from his adoptive mother.

"Splendid. May we leave?"

"And you tell me that _I'm _impatient."

* * *

"A few ground rules, Miss Swan," Regina says as she and Emma walk into her mansion. Henry's already in the house, he ran in before they even got up the walkway, and he's planted firmly in his room.

Emma rolls her eyes. "I should've expected. What are they?" She tries not to sound too annoyed; after all, this is probably a stretch for Regina, being so attached to someone. Pun intended.

"You will help out. I know you can't cook, that's pretty clear, but I do expect you to do the dishes while I watch." She grins, almost playfully. "Also, when we have to use the facilities, you will look away. When we have to shower, you will look away. When I have to cook dinner, you will stay _out_ of my way. Understood?"

Emma huffs, feeling her anger rise. "Why are you the only one with ground rules?"

"Because, Miss Swan, it's _my_ house."

_Shit,_ Emma thinks, _didn't think of that_. "Okay, fine. Deal." She and Regina walk, surprisingly in unison, toward the kitchen. Emma looks at Emma for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, dear."

Emma gives her a look but goes on with the actual question—or rather, request—anyway. Since when is Regina humorous? Sarcastic, yes. Witty, of course. Bitchy, always. But funny? Hardly. "Can you at least call me by my name? Since we're going to be sharing a bed and a bedroom and a house. I think I deserve to be called Emma, don't you?"

"I will call you by your first name if and when I choose. I don't think you and I are close enough to be formal. Even if we are forced together by these circumstances."

_God, it's torture sometimes. _"Fine," Emma grumbles. "What's for dinner?"

"I don't know, Miss Swan, what _is _for dinner?" Regina snarks, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. When she doesn't get an answer, she sighs. "I don't know. Perhaps I'll make macaroni."

This vaguely surprises Emma, but she tries not to let it show, even when she blurts out, "you have macaroni in the house?"

Regina give Emma a look that makes the blonde feel stupid for even asking the question in the first place. "Of course, Miss Swan. Henry likes it. It's not the boxed kind, though. That stuff is _not_ going in my body or in his. I make it from scratch, and I just happen to have left over macaroni from last week in the fridge. Saves the work."

"I—okay," Emma murmurs, taking hesitant steps toward the fridge. Regina allows it, walking behind her. "How much do you want?" Emma opens the fridge and digs around for the tupperware that contains the food.

"I'm not hungry, Miss Swan, but you can go ahead and eat," Regina says quietly, leaning against the counter, watching Emma with scrutinizing eyes.

Emma gives Regina a quizzical look. "Okay," she says.

Her meal goes by without anything said between the two women. They sit at the large dining room table, although their chairs have to be pushed closer together so they can sit without their arms having to be strained. Regina merely glues her eyes to the table, while Emma scarfs down the food. It's incredibly awkward.

"I'm uh, I'm done."

"Do you want a round of applause, dear?" Regina asks sarcastically. "You know where the sink is, go wash it." She stands; waiting for Emma to stand along with her and together they walk toward the sink.

Emma washes her dishes quickly, suddenly tired. She just wants to go to bed. They go up the stairs, after turning out all the lights on the main floor, and they go toward the master bedroom.

"Whoa, your room is huge."

"Classy, Miss Swan. Yes, my bedroom is quite large. Nothing like it was when I was in my land. The one in my land was far more… intricate and had more room. And it was far more homey." She pulls Emma toward her closet, where she takes out a short blue nighty. "Turn around."

Emma gapes at Regina. "Pardon?"

"Turn around. I need to change."

"What if you need help?"

"I wont need help, Miss Swan. If you've seen Henry's precious book, you would see the outfits I used to wear. Those were difficult to get into and out of. I managed just fine. Now turn so we can get to bed."

Emma sighs dramatically and does as she's told. She feels Regina shedding her clothes, and surprisingly, she manages to get all her clothes off. Emma can't help but peak through her hair to look at the older woman. Her body was glorious, from what she can see. The olive skin of her back, the curve of her spine, the delicate shoulder blades. She looks so soft. Emma stuffs her hands in her pockets to keep from reaching out and she looks away, holding her breath as Regina pulls her nighty on without much struggle.

"Okay," Regina mumbles, tossing her clothes—almost ungracefully—into the hamper on the other side of the room. "I'll… get you something to wear. I suppose this will do." She pulls out a shirt from her drawers, and a pair of shorts.

"They look like guys' clothes," Emma observes.

"Very good, Miss Swan. Yes, they were clothes Graham left behind while he was here," Regina tells her as she turns away. "Hurry up and change."

Emma blushes. "I, uh, I might need help. These jeans are pretty tough to get out of."

With an indignant huff, Regina's hands fly to Emma's jeans. In two hard tugs, she gets them off the blonde's hips. Emma can't help but stare at her in brief aw.

"How did you do that so easily? Even _I _can't get them off that quick and I'm the one in them."

Regina only smirks. "Practice, Miss Swan. Practice. Now hurry up."

Emma's blush creeps from her cheeks and all the way down her torso. _What did that mean?_ Nevertheless, Emma quickly changes, with great difficulty, and she looks at Regina for the first time as she drops her clothes on the floor. She's truly stunning. Blue is her color.

Wearing a silk little nighty, that goes mid-thigh, and barely covers the tops of her breasts, she's beautiful. If it were anyone else, Emma would say that Regina's trying to seduce Emma by wearing this and by looking like that, but it dawns on Emma that Regina is just _that_ sexy.

"Do you like what you see, Miss Swan?"

Regina's smug voice kicks Emma out of her fantasies. "Of course not," Emma shoots back with venom. "Let's just go to bed."

* * *

**a/n:** hope i got the characters right. hope you guys like it, too.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: due to the fact that I can't edit a chapter once I've already posted it, I'll say that part of it got cut out when I was editing it. I wrote about seven lines explaining that Rumpelstiltskin charmed the metal connecting the bracelets of the handcuffs so things go right through it (so a weapon can't break it). Regina comments on how he's a, "smart little imp."**  
**a/n2: thanks so much for the support. I really do love swan queen and the fandom that comes with it!  
****a/n3: WHO'S EXCITED FOR TONIGHT? I am. ;D  
****a/n4: do review, it's my crack. :)**

* * *

_Strip me of my power  
__Beat me with your chains  
__If I'm the king of cowards  
__You're the queen of pain_

* * *

Emma's first reaction when she wakes up is that her arm is sore. She peeks open one eye and she looks around, her vision readying to the new found light coming through the drapes.

_Fuck my arm_, she thinks, blinking away her sleepy haze. She looks to the side where her sore arm lay, and she realizes why it hurts so much. "Shit."

Upon her arm is a sleeping Regina, and that's when Emma realizes that her other arm is draped across Regina's hip. _How the hell did this happen?_ She slowly lifts the arm on Regina's hip off, so she doesn't wake her. Her other arm, though. That'll be tricky.

And for a moment, Emma doesn't want to move her arm or wake Regina up, because the brunette looks so peaceful, the epitome of natural beauty. She looks almost angelic, with her eyes closed and no scowl on her face. Emma fights the urge to reach out and brush that one strand of hair that's on Regina's cheek.

_No,_ Emma reminds herself, _this is not the time to have some weird, fucked up attraction for the Evil Queen. Or is she just an Evil Witch? Or is she just Evil…? _

"Miss Swan, I can feel you staring," mumbles Regina from below.

Emma's light eyes dart down to Regina, and although the brunettes eyes are still closed, Emma knows that she is fully awake. "Sorry. I was thinking."

"Not about _me_, I hope," Regina teases as she peaks open one eye and cocks a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. She's taunting Emma, just as she did the night before, because she knew when someone was looking at her in desire and interested, and Emma did. _Does. _

"I—uh, I was, actually," Emma says lamely. She decides to play it cool. "So, are you still technically an Evil Queen, or are you an Evil Witch, or just what you were before, a Royal Bitch?"

Regina _tsks_ as she sits up, stretching her legs in front of her before stretching her arms out in front of her gracefully. "Such hostility in the morning, and people say _I'm _not a morning person."

Her words are lost on Emma as Regina stretches, arching her back in a very cat-like manner, and she lets out a sound resembling a purr when a crack sounds. The small noise she had just made makes Emma's body go warm. _Snap out of it, Swan. It's probably just a backlash to whatever funky curse Gold has us under. I wonder if she feels it, too. _

Emma suddenly realizes how close their hands are together. Emma withdraws hers as if Regina may burn her, and Emma's completely sure that if Regina could get away with it without getting herself injured in the process, she would.

"Are you normally this strange in the morning or is it just because you were forced to actually sleep in a bed with someone and _just_ sleep?" Regina's voice is so low Emma considers it seductive. It is.

_Nice try. _"No. I tend to be quite odd when I'm attached to someone I don't get along with," she responds coolly, proud of herself. _What's gotten into me? Note to self: kill Gold. _

"You wound me, Miss Swan," Regina deadpans, a smirk still on her lips. "But anyway, first line of duty is bathing. Do you have qualms about showering together, or would you prefer a bath? I have a Jacuzzi tub."

"I… bathing?"

"The concept may be foreign to you, Miss Swan, but yes. Bathing. I refuse not to bathe simply because I have you attached to my arm." She rolls her eyes, tugging Emma toward the bathroom, pausing outside the door. "I have three sets of towels in here. The red set is mine, you can choose the white or the green."

Emma nods. "'Kay," she mutters.

Regina wastes no time in stripping naked, not really caring whether or not Emma is watching her—which she definitely is. Or, really, whether or not Emma has problems with showering with her. She turns on the water, practically scalding, and the familiarity of the steam rising makes Regina smile.

"Well, are you going to undress, or do I have to bring you in fully clothed?" Regina purrs, looking over her bare shoulder at Emma.

"I—uh…" She makes quick work, getting out of the clothes she wore to bed quickly.

Regina doesn't bother to hide her intrigue, and that's pretty evident when brown eyes rake over the almost-ghostly pale skin of Emma's body. She simply gives Emma a knowing smirk and tugs them both into the shower.

Emma yelps from the heat of the water, definitely not expecting it to be that hot. "What, are we bathing in Hell, or something?" Emma grumbles as she shies away from the scalding temperature, leaning against the wall.

Regina doesn't respond, instead she bends—slightly, enough to make Emma want to reach out touch Regina's ass—to pick up her shampoo bottle. She lathers it in her short, dark tuffs delicately. Immediately, the smell of apples hits both of their noses and Emma almost rolls her eyes at the predictability, but it is soothing.

"Are you not going to use shampoo?" Regina asks as she turns herself slightly so she can stand under the spray.

Emma's eyes glue to Regina's chest for a few beats. _One, two, three. _"I think you'll need to help me use it," Emma says, her voice unusually huskily. _Whoa, where'd that come from? _

"Why is that, Miss Swan?" Regina doesn't sound mad, as Emma had actually expected her to in that moment, she sounds amused…and slightly interested in the reasoning.

"My hair's too long and I can't reach all of it with one of my wrists attached to yours… it would make more sense for you to do it." _Plus I want your hands on me. _

A chuckle. "Turn around, Miss Swan."

_Who am I to argue?_ Emma turns her body away from Regina's, and she bends a little at the knee—she knows Regina is quite short, a serious amount shorter than her, so she might as well make it easier on the woman.

Then hands are in Emma's blonde hair, and Emma can't help the content sigh as nails rake across her scalp in an eerie kind of way; it was soothing. Emma almost purrs at the sensation, and all too quickly, it's gone.

"Stand under the spray," Regina orders and shuffles to the side so Emma can get through.

Emma does so, the water still scalding hot, leaving red welts on her back. She tilts her head back and she allows the water to run down her hair, rinsing out all of the residue from the good smelling shampoo. _So this is what Regina uses to always smell good… _Emma muses. She's always wondered what the brunette used as a fragrance, ever since that day at the mine when Regina severely entered her personal space.

"Are you quite finished?"

Emma snaps out of it. "Yeah," she answers immediately.

"Good. Conditioner." Regina crooks a finger toward the matching conditioner bottle, the same as the shampoo. "Be a dear and grab it for me, will you? You're closer, after all."

With a haughty sneer, Emma picks up the bottle and she thrusts it into Regina's waiting hands. Without any other words said, Regina pours a bit of the contents into her hands and she lathers it into her hair.

_Apples. Mmm. _

Regina shifts once more, forcing Emma to move. Regina quickly washes out the conditioner, and turns Emma so she can lather that in the blonde locks, too.

The water shuts off before Emma knows it, and Regina's tugging them both out of her shower. She makes a beeline for her towel rack, giving Emma hardly any time to register what's going on—or to check her out in the brighter light of the open bathroom.

Wrapping the red towel around her body, Regina looks at Emma, who's looking at her right back. "What?" Regina asks, and she drops her eyes to her body.

For some unspeakable reason, Emma finds the small notion adorable. "Nothing. Can you pass me the white towel, since you're right beside them." Emma points at the linen towels—white and green—beside Regina, impeccably folded, of course.

Regina hands Emma the white towel and watches as she wraps the fabric around her frame.

As they dress, with some difficulty, there's a silence. It's not uncomfortable, per se, but it's definitely not a comfortable lack of noise, either. Their eyes connect several times, and Emma always looks away first. _I never look away first. _And whenever Regina isn't looking—or Emma _thinks_ Regina isn't looking—Emma sneaks a look at Regina.

"What are we going to do today?"

Emma finally breaks the silence. Regina's brown eyes meet Emma's green as she tugs a comb through her dark, wet hair.

"I don't know, Miss Swan. What is there to do when you're under house arrest with another person connected to your body?" Her voice is dry and highly sarcastic, but there's a note of amusement somewhere within the depths of all that.

_I can think of a few things._ Emma has to stop herself here. Does Rumpelstiltskin's bond, or whatever he was babbling about, make Emma far more attracted to Regina? Is it one-sided? Why does she suddenly want to kiss Regina, and touch her, and _have_ her?

"Can we go talk to Rumpelstiltskin?" Emma asks suddenly, highly aware that Regina was talking prior to her questioning outburst.

Regina looks perplexed. "Why would you want to go see the twisted little imp that did this to us?"

Emma frowns. "I just need to ask him a question, Regina."

"What question?" Regina's highly suspicious now, and Emma can tell by the small narrow of her eyes and the thinning of her normally plump lips. It's her tell.

"You'll see when I ask him," Emma responds indifferently. It's embarrassing and she doesn't want Regina to gloat that she got the Savior to feel lust for her.

Regina glares at Emma before turning away, looking toward her mirror. She tugs an annoyed Emma behind her, and she reaches for her blow dryer. "Fine. Just let me dry my hair first," Regina murmurs before doing just that.

_Thank God her hair is short, or this would take forever._

"I'm finished," Regina announces just before adding a tiny bit of mascara to her already lengthy and thick eyelashes. Emma stares at her. "I never allow people to see me without makeup, save you and Henry, Miss Swan. But I don't have a choice in allowing _you_."

"Why? You look pretty with or without it," Emma says truthfully.

If Emma wasn't watching Regina's face, if even just for the reaction, she would never have noticed the slight widening of Regina's eyes or the twitch in her perfectly sculpted eyebrow. _Huh, guess she doesn't get compliments that often. Maybe that's what I should do to make this experience less tiring. _

"I think seeing someone completely undone, without makeup or without propriety, is far too intimate," Regina reveals after a moment. A quizzical look passes over the brunette's face, clearly unable to find a reason to why she said something so…personal to Emma. Her enemy. The woman who broke her curse. The pretty blonde that made Regina feel insecure whenever she came into the room. The woman who saved her on more than once occasion.

"Regina?" Emma can tell that Regina is having an inner monologue, but she needs to see Rumpelstiltskin right now.

Visibly, the brunette snaps out of it. "Let's go, Miss Swan."

**SQSQ**

The familiar sound of the bell ringing as Emma opens the door, and holds it open for Regina to pass through the threshold, fills the empty shop that was once Mr. Gold's.

"Rumpelstiltskin, I think someone's here!" Belle trots through the door from the backroom, but comes to a halt when she sees Regina and Emma standing there. The young woman can't help but give them a guilty smile. "Hello, Emma, Regina. I'm sincerely sorry about what Rumpel did to you." She trains her eyes on the handcuffs.

"It's not your fault, dear," Regina says quickly. "But do us a favor and go fetch Rumpelstiltskin for us? We need to have a chat, it seems." She sells Emma out by giving her a quick glance.

Belle nods before walking back through the door, and seconds later, Rumpelstiltskin appears with a sneer on his face. "Hello, dearie, to what do I owe _this_ pleasure?" He was speaking directly to Regina now, and Emma's mental note about asking what Regina meant yesterday—the very same sentence—popped up in her mind. She'll ask her that later, she'll make sure of it.

"Actually, Emma's the one that needs to talk to you," Regina snaps, her temper flaring. Oh, what she'd give to have magic, or even a weapon, at that very moment.

Emma looks awkward as she shuffles on her feet. "Since there's no way of doing this privately…" She glances toward Regina. "What did you do to me?"

"I beg your pardon?" Rumpelstiltskin grins, like the cat who caught the canary. "I have no idea what you're referring to."

"Cut the shit. I can't even look at Regina in her _night_ clothes without wanting to rip the fucking thing off," she growls to Rumpelstiltskin, and it's then that she realizes they're face to face. _Huh. When did we go forward? Or did he? _

Rumpelstiltskin gives a delighted laugh as he casts his eyes toward Regina. If she hadn't spent years perfecting her poker face, she would be staring at Emma with her mouth hung open. No, instead she stares coolly at Rumpelstiltskin.

"I didn't do anything, dearie. The enchantment forms a bond that is it. If you have an attraction toward lovely Regina here, well, that's your fault."

"_My_ fault? How is being attracted to the psychopathic bitch who cursed all of us—you—here _my_ fault?" She clenches her fist against the fabric of her jeans. She wants to hurt him so bad.

Rumpelstiltskin _tsks_, reminding her of how alike he and Regina truly are. "You've been attracted to her for awhile, haven't you?"

"No," Emma says smoothly. It's true, she hasn't been _attracted _to her. Sure, she found the other woman extremely attractive—who wouldn't? And at the mine, she wanted Regina to kiss her, but it looked like Regina wanted to kiss her too. Or was that her imagination? _Oh. _"I was attracted to her."

Regina scoffs. "Be more surprised about it, Miss Swan," she mumbles, but deep within her, she feels a victory surge to the surface of all other emotions. Even her, with her masking abilities, can't hide the triumphant smirk that crosses her lips.

"If that'll be all, dearies, I must get back to tea with Belle." And he's gone.

The pair walks back to Regina's mayoral mansion, not a word said between them. It's not awkward, but Emma definitely feels the anger within her at Rumpelstiltskin, and that damned smirk that Regina's wearing right now.

Emma looks at Regina when they're both inside, Regina's still smirking. "Not a word, Regina, seriously. Hurting myself in the process of hurting you may be worth it."

Regina widens her eyes innocently. Falsely, of course. "Say what, Miss Swan? That you _enjoyed_ seeing me naked this morning? That you _enjoyed_ sharing a bed with me last night?" She's positively delighted.

"Regina," Emma warns.

"What, dear?" Her voice is liquid; like silk, it wraps around Emma's entire body. _Has her voice always been that sexy or is she doing it to torment me? _Emma looks at the tilt of Regina's lips and her question is answered.

"You're such a bitch, you know that?"

Regina grins, much like the Cheshire Cat. "I'm aware of that," she says smugly.

"Why do you get so much delight in me being attracted to you?" Emma's green eyes burn into Regina, the question serious.

Regina looks right back at Emma, their eyes connecting. "Because, Miss Swan, your attraction to me proves to be a weakness."

"How so?" Emma's eyes narrow, but she can't help but be intrigued—and slightly shocked—at how Regina could have come to that deluded conclusion.

"Lust, as is love, is always a weakness."

Henry comes bounding down the stairs at this moment, not bothering to tell the two women to pull apart and stop fighting. He's used to it by now.

"What's for breakfast?"

Emma and Regina follow slightly behind him.

"Whatever you want, Henry," Regina responds.

"Pancakes?"

Regina smiles slightly, a smile without malice. It's rare, to say the least. "Of course. Miss Swan will even help me. Won't you?" She turns her wide, brown eyes onto Emma, who can only just nod. "Splendid."

"Emma, why is your hair wet?" Henry asks as he seats himself at the table and stares at his two mothers.

"I took a shower," Emma responds quizzically.

Henry throws Emma and Regina a disgusted face. "Ew, you mean you two had to take a shower together? Which means you saw my mom naked?" He false gags.

"Must be in the Sheriff's job description to see your mom naked," she mumbles.

Thankfully, Henry doesn't hear her bitter little comment. But a sharp jolt to her abdomen tells Emma that Regina had, and she can tell by the icy glare sent her way that she went too far in saying it in front of Henry. She gives Regina an apologetic glance, knowing she'll get a lecture later on.

"Let's go make the pancakes, Miss Swan," Regina snaps as she leads herself and the blonde out of earshot from Henry. "What the Hell was that? Are you _trying_ to make me seem like an unfit mother?"

"No, look, I'm sorry. My mouth said it without my brains permission." She smiles sheepishly, looking almost guilty. "But I do have a question."

"What is that?" Regina reaches up to grab the pancake mix.

Emma watches her for a moment, debating how to come out with it. "What's your history with Mr. G—Rumpelstiltskin?"

Regina almost drops the mix onto the counter, but her fingers grasp it tight. "I beg your pardon?"

"You and him seem to have a history… I'm only interested to know what it is," Emma responds. "Did you two have some random crazed affair? That's what it seems like, I mean."

Regina is in front of Emma within seconds. "I suggest you don't speak about things you know not of, Miss Swan. It's a dangerous story, and I'm not going to share it with you. Understand?" Her voice is a low growl, and it almost sends a shiver down Emma's spine.

"Yes," Emma responds meekly. "Sorry, it's just—curiosity."

"Well, you know what they say about _that,_"

Emma rolls her eyes. "What, that curiosity killed the cat?"

Regina doesn't answer, she just walks around the kitchen, preparing Henry's pancakes. When she's finished, she trains her eyes onto Emma. "That's not exactly a myth, Miss Swan. If he ever found out about your… wavering curiosity, I'm sure he'd take great pleasure in making you forget the thought."

"Oh." The look in Regina's eye, and the tone of her voice, made it clear to Emma that she isn't lying. But the curiosity still burns within her. "Fine. Let's eat pancakes."

* * *

**a/n: i hope you enjoyed. :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n1: so sorry for the delay. this chapter just did NOT want to write. but alas, here it is. and although not much is revealed of regina's past, do feel sorry for her. I know I do. why do I put my baby through this? oh yeah, because of swan queen.**  
**a/n2: i have my next chapter written, so don't worry about another long wait for a chapter. i'll post it once i hit five or more reviews for this chapter.**  
**a/n3: i have another plot bunny in mind, but it's far darker and a little more... smutty. i may or may not actually write it out, because a lot of people have done that type of fic. **  
**a/n4: follow me on tumblr? lanaparrilllas is my URL. ;D **  
**a/n3: do enjoy the angst and please review. it's my crack. ;D**

* * *

When she was just a girl,  
She expected the world.  
But it flew away from her reach,  
So she ran away in her sleep

* * *

It's been two weeks. And, although Emma will not admit this to anyone, it isn't as bad as she anticipated. Sure, Regina's still a bitch, but she's opening up. The slightest bit. She's smiling more, mainly when Henry comes in the room, but it warms the atmosphere.

Henry's out with Snow and Charming, and Emma and Regina are eating dinner—another one, deliciously made by Regina—alone in the dining room. They've gotten used to each other's presence, and they're actually able to eat and move without hurting the other.

In fact, Emma's actually grown so used to Regina's presence that she's beginning to actually enjoy having the other woman around. Not that she would ever repeat that to anyone… she'd never live it down if she said it out loud.

And that damned attraction is still there. Whenever they bathe or change or sleep in Regina's bed, Emma has that urge to reach out and run her fingertips along smooth olive skin. She's surprised she's controlled herself this long.

"You're staring, dear."

Emma snaps out of it. "Hmm? Oh, sorry," she mutters. She's lucky that she's wearing a high top because she feels a blush creep along her torso. "The dinner's really good. Like, you're a fantastic cook."

"Thank you." Regina gives a dazzling smile. Not one of her cold, fake smiles. But a real, honest-to-God mega-watt smile that makes Emma's heart stutter.

"You should do that more often."

Regina gives Emma a quizzical look, although a hint of that smile is still across her face. "What?"

"Smile. I mean, you have a great smile. You're beautiful."

Regina seems to pause for a moment, the carefully etched mask of emotions she places on her face dropping for a moment. The normally regal woman gapes at Emma with her mouth slightly open before shaking her head and clearing her throat. "We should watch a movie, since we have the house to ourselves." Regina decides to change the topic before the blush that wants to creep on her cheeks makes it that far.

"Why do you do that?"

Regina takes a sip of her wine, looking at Emma over the rim of her glass. Her brown eyes are unreadable, and that unnerves Emma. Setting the glass down with a sigh, Regina replies, "do what, dear?"

"That thing, were someone compliments you—wholeheartedly—and you don't take it."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Swan." Regina wants to kick herself. How does Emma manage to see all these things about her that she tries her damn hardest to hide? It's like the blonde has a one-way access point into her brain.

Emma snorts. "And Mary—Snow says that I have a wall."

"Don't pretend that you know me, Miss Swan. You may have had it rough, but I guarantee I've had it rougher than that. It wasn't easy for me growing up, and it sure as hell is not easy for me now." Regina, honestly, has no idea why she even brought this up. Maybe it's a ploy to finally shut Emma up… maybe it's a sign that she finally wants to talk about her childhood with someone… someone other than Rumpelstiltskin and the little that Snow White knows of.

"What could've happened to you that was so terrible, Regina? You had two parents, you had money, I don't see what your issue is."

Regina lets out a humorless laugh. "Henry's book only delves into when I became the Evil Queen. Not how, and it's best you remember that."

"Tell me, then. What happened?" Curiosity shines through in Emma's voice.

"What happened when? When my mother killed my one and only true love? When she forced me to marry a man I didn't love—Snow's father? When said man took what he wanted from me on our wedding night, and almost every night after that until I k—he died? When Rumpelstiltskin took what was rightfully his, due to my mother? Where do you want me to begin, Miss Swan?" She notes that her voice rose during her small tirade, and she also notes that Emma looks regretful. Regina doesn't realize she's tearing up until her vision becomes blurry.

_Shit. I broke her._ "I—fuck, Regina, I'm sorry."

"Are you?" Regina asks sarcastically. "And for what? For assuming I had a good life, for assuming that I've always been evil, or for making me say it out loud?"

Emma bites her tongue. She technically didn't make Regina say it aloud, but she did bait her. "All of it," Emma says truthfully. Without thinking, she reaches out and brushes her fingertips against Regina's clenched fist. "No one should have to go through what you've probably been through."

Regina wrenches her hand away, immediately detaching from her emotions. "Indeed, Miss Swan. And I didn't even mention the worst parts. And I won't, so don't even bother asking. I shan't answer you."

"I—okay." Emma decides she doesn't want to push the other woman. She figures, when she's ready, she'll tell. Emma truly does feel bad. Horrible, really. And every time she looks back at Regina's face, she feels her heart break.

They eat their dinner in quiet, Emma looking up every so often to catch the brunette shuffling her food around on her plate. This unnerves her. Normally Regina is very… regal and polite at the dinner table; normally they converse. But tonight, Emma ruined their friendship. Can they even be called friends? Is that what they are? Friends?

Emma almost laughs aloud at the thought. Friends don't constantly tell other friends that they're beautiful, or stare at the other while they're bathing. So, maybe friends is a term applied loosely, Emma thinks. Emma once again looks up at Regina, and finds that the other woman is looking right back.

"What is it, are you okay?"

"Yes, Miss Swan. It's just that your fork is scraping against my plate and it's good china. Do stop, it's quite a horrid sound."

"Sorry."

And that's all that's said before Regina finishes off her food, and gulps down another glass and a half of wine. Then she stands, bringing Emma with her as per usual. "Come on, now. We have dishes we need to tend to."

* * *

It's about three in the morning, and Emma is awoken by the sound of shallow breathing and gasping, and the feel of cold, unforgiving fingers around her wrist. She peeks her eyes open, and she notices Regina frigid next to her, sitting up.

"Hey, you okay?" Emma asks carefully, not bothering to take her wrist out of the other woman's grasp.

Regina seems to jump at the sound of Emma's voice, and Emma realizes a second later that her wrist is now free. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," Emma accuses. She reaches her good arm out and she brushes her fingertips against the exposed skin of Regina's shoulder. The brunette's shuddering, and this causes Emma to sit up. "Hey, what's wrong? What happened?" No response. "Bad dream?" She can't put her finger on it, but when Regina's so seemingly unnerved, she can't help but care. There's a dull ache in her heart still, from what Regina told her at dinner.

"Memory."

"Want to talk about it?" No harm in trying. Emma tries to soothingly rub circles on olive toned skin—shining in the dull moonlight due to sweat.

Regina still doesn't look at her, even though Emma half expects her to look over her shoulder and give her a look of disdain for even suggesting it. But it doesn't come. _Oh, God. She's actually broken. Fuck what do I do?_

"I—Regina?" She notices that the brunette's posture becomes less rigid the more Emma's thumb rubs over her shoulder. As if a light bulb goes off at the top of her head, she asks gently, "Do you want me to hold you? Just for tonight. We won't talk about it in the morning, we won't mention it ever." If you don't want to, Emma wants to add.

To Emma's complete and utter surprise, Regina leans into Emma's hand and she feels them going backward. Emma and Regina shift until they are comfortably spooning, Emma being the bigger spoon. Regina's still trembling, and more than anything, Emma wants to take the pain and memories away. She drops a kiss to the arch between Regina's shoulder and neck, and she freezes as she feels the former Mayor's body stiffen.

_Shit._

They're quiet for a few beats, until Emma realizes something… Regina's crying. So silently, trying to cover it up by pressing her hand to her mouth; by holding in the sobs that are trying their damn hardest to break free from her body.

"Regina?" Emma reaches forward with the hand that's not resting on Regina's, which is snugly settled on her hip. As Emma brushes a fingertip over Regina's cheek, her skin is met with dampness. Yep, she's crying. "Regina, come on, I don't care what time it is, you can talk to me about it."

Emma's met with silence, but it's so loud that Emma can hear her ears ringing. She can still feel Regina's rigid body against hers, holding back sobs. Until they stop, although Regina's still slightly trembling. And then, she speaks. So low, Emma hardly hears the small, "why do you care?" that's uttered.

"I don't know why," Emma answers honestly into the crook of Regina's neck. She doesn't know how her face landed there, but she's comfy and doesn't feel like moving—plus, Regina hasn't shooed her off yet.

Silence.

"I had a memory about my Mother."

_Oh._

"Regina, you don't have to tell me."

"I know."

"But you can if you want to."

"I know."

Emma just waits, her chin propped on Regina's shoulder, waiting. Regina turns herself the slightest bit, looking up at Emma through heavy-lidded eyes. Although her eyes are dark, they're still red-rimmed due to the crying.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, Regina," Emma says gently, placing her hand on Regina's shoulder.

They just stare at each other momentarily, blue eyes locking with brown. They stay that way for a while—who knows how long? Neither of them was really counting. And then, as if something compelled her, Emma leans forward and kisses Regina on the mouth. It takes a small amount of small pecks to get Regina to respond to her.

And boy did she ever. Plump lips press hard against thin ones, and Emma feels something wet—tastes something salty. She realizes Regina's crying again, but she makes nothing of it. She just kisses Regina with everything she has until the other pulls away and snuggles herself deeper into the blondes arms.

_She's asleep._ Hopefully no nightmares hit her this time, Emma thinks as she stares down at now sleeping brunette. Her breathing is calm and gentle, her face impassive. Her lips slightly bruised from their kisses.

Emma doesn't even comprehend anything, right now. She feels like she's on a high. She kisses Regina's cheek, the small, almost invisible track of tears down her face and she herself falls asleep, her head in the crook of Regina's neck.

* * *

**a/n:** sorry for it being so short. i promise the next update will be longer. and it'll come soon! just like i said before the update. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Aa/n1: so sorry for the delayed update. i know ii promised i'd update yesterday (or two days ago, technically), but i've been busy. but I hope that this update makes up for it because there's fluff and angst and more Swan Queen lip action ;)**

**a/n2: follow me on tumblr (lanaparrilllas) and feel free to send me asks with prompts and stuff for fics. i'll do any regina pairing, really.**  
**a/n3: please review! feed my crack. ;D**

_Nobody said it was easy  
__No one ever said it would be this hard  
__Oh, take me back to the start_

* * *

Emma wakes in the morning with Regina still in her arms. The blonde takes a moment to look down at the small bundle in her grasp. Even though she had one hell of a night, she still had an essence of flawlessness. As her eyes are closed, Regina looks completely in peace. At a momentary ease that Emma is deathly afraid of disrupting. Short hair is adorably tousled. Her long lashes lay on slightly red cheeks, her full lips in a pout—even in her sleep. She's beautiful.

Emma doesn't know how long she stares at the other woman for. She replays the details of the previous night in her head. Regina breaking down; Regina sobbing in her arms. _Regina's in her arms_. Emma kissing Regina on the shoulder… than on the mouth.

In the moment, Emma was sure that Regina was still crying because Emma kissed her. But now as she's looking into the memory more vividly, she's reminded that Regina had kissed her back. Quite tenderly, which surprises her… since when is Regina tender?

Emma can't help but think if Regina regrets it, and Emma feels a dull ache in her chest at the thought.

This scares her, too. _Why do I care so much? It's Regina Mills, for fuck sakes! Resident bitch and the Evil Queen that cursed my parents and me._ Bt she can't seem to shake how she feels. How she felt when she kissed Regina… how she feels when she holds her. It scares her more that she wants a repeat.

"You're staring, Miss Swan."

Regina's voice sounded hoarse, thick and raspy with sleep and energy loss. This snaps Emma out of her reverie, and the blonde gives Regina the tiniest of smiles. "You look pretty in the morning," she admits as she looks under her eyelashes.

No response, just for a moment. "We should get a move on with breakfast and such before Henry gets home," Regina says quickly, shifting out of their cuddling position into a standing position.

Emma nods and they dress without looking or talking to each other. It took all of Emma's will power not to look at Regina, but she wants to give the other woman a sense of dignity. She's probably feeling embarrassed about coming undone in front of Emma the previous night.

And as they sit at the kitchen table, toast and coffee and orange juice along with them, Emma makes the mistake of saying, "should we talk about last night?"

Regina doesn't look up; she just sips her orange juice. "I do recall you saying we don't have to talk about it if I didn't want to," Regina comments. "And I assure you, Miss Swan, that I do not want to. So consider the topic dropped…indefinitely." Her voice leaves no room for argument.

Emma nods, knowing that was the promise that made last night real. "Okay, Regina." She sighs at the formality. Regina has yet to call Emma, well, Emma. "But if you change your mind—"

"I won't, I promise you that."

Emma bites into her toast and just stares at Regina. And continues to stare as the minutes tick by. She's certain that the brunette is aware of her eyes on her, but she can't bring herself to care.

"Why do you insist on staring at me?" Regina snaps, finally looking up at Emma with blazing brown eyes. They're almost black.

"Because you're beautiful," Emma says quickly.

At this moment, Emma's makes it her daily mission to call Regina Mills beautiful every time she can. Why? She does not know. Perhaps because a beautiful woman deserves to be called beautiful.

And if Emma wasn't staring at Regina, she would've missed the blush that crept onto olive-toned skin.

* * *

"Let's go, Miss Swan," Regina says as she tugs at Emma, away from the sink. They've just completed the dishes. "Before Henry gets back and we have to explain where we're going. He'll want to come with us."

Emma's green eyes bore into Regina's form as she, as usual, leads. "Where _are_ we going?" Emma decides to ask as she's being pulled along.

"To talk to Rumple," Regina replies as they walk the rest of the way out of the large mansion.

Emma gapes at her. "Why?"

"To see if he'll undo the enchantment," she says curtly, not looking at Emma as they walk down the pathway.

"Want to get rid of me that bad, eh?" Emma teases, looking sideways at Regina. Her heart thuds in her chest as she looks at her. It's sunny outside and the blonde is seriously struck by how… breathtaking Regina looks in the ray of light. She's glowing, like a Goddess.

_Snap out of it, Swan._

Regina doesn't respond and this hurts Emma more than it should. They walk in silence until they're on Main Street, gaining looks from everyone that's on the sidewalk. Guess the workday hasn't started yet.

"It's not that," Regina admits, but that's all she says as they walk into the pawnshop, a bell greeting them.

"Gold!" Emma yells into the seemingly empty shop. "Gold! Get your creepy ass out here!"

Regina sighs. "Can't you be polite, Miss Swan? He's dangerous."

"He _is_ a creep," Emma tells her with a roll of her eyes. She tilts her head. "Why do you call him Rumple? Aren't nicknames or shortened names supposed to be used in an affectionate manner?" She raises both of her eyebrows in questioning.

Before Regina can answer—if she was even going to—Rumplestiltskin comes out of the back room and into plain view. "No need to shout, dearie. I assure you I can hear splendidly. But to what do I owe this pleasure, Princess and Your Majesty?" He grins sardonically and goes to stand behind the counter.

"We've done our time, Rumple. It's time to stop this." Something in Regina's voice makes Emma shiver.

Rumple merely smirks and does that crazy maniacal laugh of his. "Have you now?" he asks, quite sarcastically. "Belle was locked away for twenty eight years. You've only had two weeks with your enemy. Do you honestly think you've suffered enough in comparison?"

"Rumple," a gentle voice seeks out. "Don't. It's okay."

"Belle," he says sternly. "It is not okay."

Belle sighs, giving Emma and Regina an apologetic look. Deep down, Emma wonders how Belle can so easily forgive Regina for locking her away for so long. Then she realizes that Belle is the naïve girl that sees the good in even the worst of people.

"It was I who went through the years of being locked away," Belle says confidently, though her voice is still soft as can be. Emma notices her back is a little stiffer. "Don't I get a say in what happens to my captor?" Her bright eyes shine as she stares at Rumplestiltskin with an eyebrow raised.

"You have," he says in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "You told me not to hurt her, and I've not hurt her. Haven't injured her one bit, no matter how much I bloody want to."

Belle frowns at him, shaking her head in a way that could only be described as blatant disappointment. "Rumple," she murmurs, blue eyes wide.

_Oh, she's good, _Emma concludes as she watches the scene unfold.

Rumplestiltskin grits his teeth. "They shall stay like this until the first of January. Not as long as I'd like—not even close, dearie—but I am sure both of them will suffer in a non-violent manner." He looks down at Belle. "I cannot let them go unpunished, Belle."

Belle looks close to tears and that's when Emma speaks up. "And that would be our cue to leave. C'mon, 'Gina." Emma tugs the brunette out of the shop, much to her displeasure.

* * *

As they walk from the pawnshop, it's silent, almost eerily so. Everyone must've gone to work, leaving Emma and Regina's footsteps to be the only sounds heard on the street.

"You called me ''Gina,'" Regina says quietly as they reach the front end of Regina's mayoral mansion. They're just walking up the pathway when Regina distinctly remembers Emma calling her _'Gina_ instead of _Regina_.

"I did what?" Emma looks at Regina, a bit frazzled. Shit.

"In Rumplestiltskin's pawnshop, you called me 'Gina," Regina reminds her. "You said, 'c'mon, 'Gina,' and then proceeded to tug me out of the shop, which was not part of the plan. I was going to use the vulnerability to get what we wanted."

Emma bites on her lower lip as Regina leads Emma inside the front door. Henry's not back yet. _Good,_ Emma thinks, _because an argument is probably gonna start any second._

"I did it by accident," Emma tries. "It really wasn't a conscious decision to shorten your name…"

"No, I just find it amusing that you said prior to the incident that shortened names or nicknames are supposed to be used in an affectionate manner." Regina cocks one perfect eyebrow, her lips curling into a small smirk.

Emma ignores her for a moment. "It doesn't matter, 'kay? I don't get the big deal."

"No one's ever called me anything but Regina or Your Majesty, or Madame Mayor," Regina explains, unsure again of why she would reveal such a detail to Emma. "Not that it matters. A name is a name."

"No one's ever called you by a nickname before?" Emma gapes. Even she, a person who does not have a lot of friends, has had nicknames. This baffles her. "Well, some nicknames make me want to punch people in the face if that helps."

Regina gives her a quizzical look. "No, I've never had a nickname. The only other names other than my official titles or my actual name that I've been called are vastly inappropriate," she mutters.

Emma frowns. "I can call you 'Gina from now on if you want," Emma offers with a light smile. _Is this a Regina-type of way of giving out a branch of friendship? _

"No," Regina deadpans. "I was merely wondering why on Earth you'd call me by a nickname, is all. It baffled me. But it does not mean you can call me anything besides Regina, Miss Swan, and even that is pushing it."

_She's pushing me away again,_ Emma's brain concedes. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Regina gives Emma a look that makes her feel like a moron.

"Well, you said a name is just a name… so why does it matter if I call you Regina or 'Gina or shnookums, or even something like sweetheart?" Okay, so Emma goes a little overboard with shnookums and sweetheart, but she's trying to get her point across. She wants Regina to trust her, even if she has to try as hard as to allow the other woman to let her call her by a shortened version of her name.

Regina rolls her eyes, bringing them into the kitchen. _Discussion over._

After that, the day goes by in a pretty bland sort of way. They sit on Regina's couch while Regina reads and Emma watches television. Henry comes home. They all discuss dinner. Regina makes dinner. Emma watches Regina make dinner. They eat dinner. Regina watches Emma do the dishes. They shower. They get changed. Now, they find themselves in Regina's bed again. Lying on their backs, the only sound to be heard is their awkward breathing.

Regina clears her throat, disrupting the loud static in Emma's ears from the silence. "Miss Swan?" she rasps, her voice thick with exhaustion.

"Yeah?"

Regina seems to pause for a moment. "It's cold," she says a few minutes after.

"Oh?" How am I supposed to reply to that?

Silence, for about three awkward beats. "Can you… can we… last night," Regina tries, not really sure how to do this. She's seeking intimacy, and Emma seems to be the one who's willing to give it to her. Plus, she really is cold. Goose-bumps are erupted all over her skin.

Emma finally understands. "You want to cuddle again?" Emma whispers, not trying to be cruel. She just doesn't want to get the wrong idea and do something that could jeopardize whatever progress they've made in terms of their friendship.

"Yes," Regina mumbles, turning onto her side.

Emma shifts them, as she did the night before, to wrap her body around Regina's smaller frame. The blonde feels that Regina's skin is cold and rubs her hands up and down olive skin to create friction; to give the other woman warmth.

"All better?" Emma murmurs into Regina's ear, resting her cheek on Regina's neck.

Regina shivers as Emma's breath blows on her now-heated skin. "Yes. Thank you, Miss Swan. And the same rules apply."

_Of course._ "Okay, Regina."

More moments pass, and Emma is sure that Regina falls asleep until Regina tilts her head and cranes her neck slightly to look at Emma. Another second passes before Regina kisses Emma, her mouth gentle—Emma will forever be surprised at this—and warm.

They kiss like that, nothing more, for so long that Emma loses track. Her brain is turning into mush and her body into jelly. She completely molds herself into the other woman, her hands itching to touch skin but she doesn't want to pressure Regina. After all, this thing is confusing enough without having sex involved.

When the kiss ends, they're both breathing heavily. Last night was more of a… comforting kind of kiss. Tonight, on the other hand, was something Emma could not describe. Something she has never done before… felt before. It feels intimate to her, the way that Regina looks so vulnerable. She decides not to do anything rash… she doesn't want to ruin it.

So instead, she kisses Regina on the cheek and presses her forehead into the crook of Regina's neck once again. She finds that Regina's neck is magnificent for sleeping… and Regina smells amazing.

With a sigh, Regina's head falls back onto the pillow and she closes her eyes. After a second, Emma's ears on high-alert, she hears the timid but gentle, "goodnight Emma," and the blonde refuses to acknowledge how her heart flutters at the simple words.

"Goodnight, Regina."


	5. Chapter 5

a/n1: hi, i'm SO sorry for the late update. but they're going to be coming in shorter times now. maybe sunday, maybe monday. i've had this stomach flu, but i'm trying!  
a/n2: some angst, and a little background on regina's sex life oooh.  
a/n3: please review! ;D

* * *

_If I lay here  
__If I just lay here  
__Would you lay with me  
__And just forget the world?_

* * *

Once again, it's morning. She once again thinks of the prior night, and how Regina had called Emma by, well, Emma. And she hates to admit this, but the sound of her name coming from Regina's mouth is undoubtedly her new favorite sound. She tries to ignore the fluttering of her heart as she recalls the memory vividly in her mind, her eyes closing for a moment before opening them again, looking down at Regina… beautiful, broken, damaged Regina.

Now, she just stares down at the brunette, as she's been doing for the past two days that Regina had been lying in her arms. But it's short-lived as Regina seemingly feels the blonde's eyes on her and shifts, looking up at Emma through hazy eyes. "You really need to stop staring at me so much," Regina says, but there's no conviction in her voice. "I'm hungry. Get up so we can have breakfast."

And that's that. They don't talk about what happened the night before. Of course they don't. Emma shouldn't be surprised. But she wants to talk about. Wants to know why Regina kissed her, wants to know what's going on… what they are, if anything.

Of course, this scares the living shit out of Emma. Because normally she couldn't give a fuck why someone wants to kiss her because she at least feels wanted. But with Regina—the only woman who may be more damaged and fucked up than herself—it's different. And this makes Emma want to jump out of her skin and run away. But she can't.

Now she realizes how this is a punishment for her. Rumplestiltskin's a bastard, and Emma delightfully growls at the idea of beating him to a pulp, since she's not into murder. That's something Regina's into, and something Regina will probably get to fulfill when New Years comes around.

At this, Emma almost groans. She's stuck with the woman she's developing feelings for for another… what, three, four months?

_Shit._

* * *

Two weeks pass. The same thing happens every night since that one night, cuddling and kissing, not talking about it the next day. And frankly, Emma is quite fed up with the whole ordeal.

Emma slams her fist, on her free hand, on the kitchen table as she and Regina are making breakfast. Halloween passed about a week ago—much to Emma's surprise, they don't celebrate it!

"Damn it, Regina!"

Regina looks up, slightly startled. "What, Miss Swan?" She looks adorably confused as she stares at Emma with her eyebrows creased to the ridge of her nose, and the smallest of frowns upon full lips.

"I don't care what I told you that night. We're talking about I," the blonde grounds out as she narrows her light eyes at Regina. Before the older woman can speak, however, Emma stops her. "Don't Regina. Let me get this out because I _need _to get it out. For once, stay quiet." This earns her a glare.

Emma can't find it in her to give a shit at the moment.

"The first night, I agreed no to speak about it the next day because you were… broken. You _are_ broken. But then every night since then you're in my arms…you kiss me…you call me _Emma._ And then in the morning and the day after that, when we're not in the confines of your room, we go back to normal. We go back to us being Miss Swan and Mayor Mills, not Emma and Regina like we are at night. And this shit is _not_ okay with me.

"It's as if you're trying to hurt me by doing this but I know that isn't true at all. Not only do you feel insecure, but also you want intimacy. You're _craving _intimacy. And I'm the one you're getting it from." She feels so foreign. She's Emma No-Strings-Attached Swan, someone who doesn't believe in intimacy or feelings between two people unless it's lust and desire. But suddenly, being unable to escape, she's hitting it head on. "You can talk. I'm done now."

Regina doesn't say anything for a moment. She merely clenches her fists around her knife and fork, knuckles turning white. Then, finally, she speaks. "It's not emotional intimacy I crave," Regina growls (a lie of course). "I miss physicality, Miss Swan. And you're here. I need someone to scratch my itch. I need a scratching post." She pastes a smirk on her lips, giving perhaps one of her best acting performances to date—since her wedding to Leopold.

"So you're horny," Emma deadpans.

Regina crinkles her nose in the cutest of ways. "Yes, Miss Swan. I'm… sexually frustrated, to say in a less crass manner than you." Although she's not completely lying here—she does miss having someone to play with—she's still lying a substantial amount. It's not all about physical intimacy. She misses being wanted.

Emma doesn't know what to say at first, her superpower channeling on a lie. But the sad thing is, she doesn't know where the lie is coming from, so she's not able to call it out. But nevertheless, she narrows her eyes at the former Mayor. "I don't believe you. You're lying."

"About which part?" Regina asks regally, her eyes never leaving the blondes face.

"All of it." Better safe than sorry. Emma's called Regina out on things before that were not quite what she thought they were, no use in doing it again and causing yet another unnecessary argument. This one is enough and it takes the cake.

Regina sighs, putting her hands in her lap. She's going to be semi-truthful. "I wanted to feel wanted again," she explains, filtering the words before she says them aloud to Emma. "And I know of your attraction to me. So, decided to play on it. As slowly as I could, as not to scare you off, of course. Jumping you while bathing would hardly be the appropriate time." This time the smirk on her face isn't forced, as she imagines Emma's look of desire as Regina pounces her, _finally_.

"You haven't been with anyone since Graham?" Emma can't help but ask, and she secretly hopes that Regina says no, because Emma knows how she gets when she gets jealous.

"Don't be absurd, Miss Swan." Emma feels relief. "Of course I've been with someone."

Emma's eyes widen in alarm and she swears her heart stops beating for a few seconds. "What?" she sputters. "Who? When? Where?"

"Nosy, are we?" Regina arches a perfectly done eyebrow in question and scowls when Emma doesn't give her an answer. Then she sighs. "Miss Lucas was… more than willing to be my scratching post when I needed her. Not to mention the infrequent trysts I've had with Jefferson since I was nineteen."

Emma drinks all of this information in. "Miss Lucas?" Then her heart really does stop and her face turns cold, jealousy coursing through her veins and causing her blood to boil. "You've had sex with Ruby? My friend, Ruby? The waitress?" She can' even keep the surprise out of her facial features, much less her voice.

"Yes, Miss Swan. Ruby. Red. Whatever you want to call her. Of course, I assure you, it was not my idea. I was at Granny's one night while Henry was at a sleepover, and she so happened to be there to… help out my dilemma."

"And Jefferson? Really? I thought the man hated you." Emma still feels fury, even though she has no right to feel it. And she doesn't even know _why_ she feels it.

Regina shrugs one shoulder gracefully, leaning back in her chair. "Like I said, I've known him since my youth. He and I were both lonely then, and in Storybrooke, we were familiar. I can't say it was unpleasant." She scrunches her nose.

"Who else?"

"I'm sorry?" Regina tilts her head.

"Who else have you slept with before? Not since you've known me, but since… ever. And don't talk about it if you don't want to, Regina. I'm not forcing you. I just want to… know." Emma's not one to feel awkward about talking about sex, but when it has to do with the sex life of the woman she's currently chasing, it makes her feel a bit out of place.

"Whom," Regina corrects. "And, what? Would you like my entire bed list, Miss Swan? Daniel was my first, of course. Leopold—Snow's father. Jefferson and I would have affairs on the side, unbeknownst to him, of course. Graham was my… well, toy, I suppose you could say, back in my land. A very pleasing one, at that. Rumplestiltskin and I have had our fair share of… pleasures. Ruby…and a few other stray toys that I grew bored with within a few weeks of having them. Of course, when I was Queen, I had people throwing themselves at me left and right."

Emma snorts. "Who wouldn't throw themselves at a hot Queen?" she says crudely.

Regina seems unfazed. "You tell me, dear," Regina purrs.

"I—" Emma's dumbfounded for a moment, entranced by the way Regina's voice sounds when it goes down a couple of levels. It's sexy.

Regina tugs Emma up. "C'mon, Miss Swan, we've got dishes to attend to. Unless you have more questions about my sex life." She's beyond thankful their talk turned into this and not about _feelings._ Sex, Regina can handle discussing. Emotions? Not so much. She's not even sure if she's capable of feeling such emotions, as Emma keeps telling her she thinks she's feeling.

"Okay," Emma says stupidly as she stands, following the brunette into the kitchen.

_Ah, damn it,_ Emma says internally she realizes that Regina won their little argument. Now Emma's just annoyed, because she really needs to get her feelings off her chest and know if Regina is feeling them back. _Tonight,_ she promises herself. _Tonight I'll make her talk about them with me._

* * *

Bathed, fed, Henry put to bed, and Emma and Regina lying on the queen sized mattress, Emma decides it's now or never. Regina is sprawled gracefully beside her, glasses on the arch of her nose and a novel in her hand. _She looks like the perfect housewife,_ Emma muses to herself.

"Regina?"

No response.

She decides to try again.

"Regina."

No response.

"_Regina!_"

"God, what would you like, Miss Swan? I'm trying to read." It's evident from the way the brunette is looking over the rim of her glasses at Emma that she's annoyed… well, that and the way the tone of her voice went shrill.

Emma feels slightly pleased with herself, but she doesn't allow herself to show it. Not if she wants Regina to open up to her. "We didn't finish talking this morning," she begins. She's proud that she started the conversation off on neutral ground.

"Which portion? Would you like to know more of my sex life? My kinks, and all that?"

Emma's sure that the drop in Regina's voice is completely unintentional, brought on by her natural sexuality, but she hides a shiver nevertheless. She tries not to picture what Regina's kinks are, because what a picture that makes in her already gutter-minded brain.

"No," Emma says sternly.

"Then what are you going on about, then?" She slams her book on the nightstand and she rids her face of her glasses as well.

Emma sighs. "We were talking about what happened between you and I and then you cleverly changed the topic to sex." Emma remembers feeling her body respond to the images that flew through her mind when she was listening to Regina go on and on about her prior sex life.

"And you promised me that we wouldn't have to speak about it, Miss Swan," Regina says as she turns out the lamp, laying down on her back and staring up at the pitch-black ceiling. "And I fully expect you to keep that promise, Miss Swan." Her voice is so strong; it makes Emma wonder why she feels so… strongly about not sharing things with Emma. After all, they're stuck together.

"I know, but—"

"No butts, Miss Swan," Regina growls. "It was a mistake, it seems. I had a moment of naivety and I believed that you'd leave well enough alone, but you never know how to do that, do you?" She feels Regina slither as far away from Emma as she can.

_Fuck. _

"Regina—"

"Go to sleep, Miss Swan. I've had enough."

And that's that. Emma hates herself for missing Regina's body so close to hers… she misses the warmth of Regina, misses her smell, she misses spooning her smaller body… And most of all, she misses the good night kiss she usually gets from the woman. _Fuck._


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n1: hi! sorry for the late update. i've been stressed with school and stuff. but now that i know the direction of my story, it should be coming out really quickly.**  
**a/n2: sorry it's so short! it's only about 1400 words, but i just really needed this chapter out before i got into the climax of the story, especially since my timeline is going along with real time.**  
**a/n3: thanks so much for the reviews. i really do appreciate them.**  
**a/n4: be dears and review this for me!?**  
**a/n5: i'm going to be writing a ruby/regina fic, as well, so when that comes out... READ IT.**  
**a/n6: once again: REVIEW. **

* * *

_Don't you move; can't you stay where you are?  
__Just for now…  
__I could be your perfect disaster  
__You could be my ever after_

* * *

More weeks pass. How many, Emma isn't sure. She reckons about three and a half? Maybe more. It's now the first week of December.

In week two, Emma thought her heart was going to drop out of her stomach and to the floor. And then in week three, Regina asked for their routine to go back tomorrow. Emma did something she doesn't normally do; she relented, and she spooned her body around Regina's, kissing her eagerly as they snuggled in Regina's big bed. Of course, Regina was actually cold, like she had said, but Emma didn't dwell on that fact at the time.

And now on the first day of December, she's wrapped around Regina, lazily running her fingers up and down the brunette's clothed back as she lays in a position easy enough for her to do so. She wonders what ever happened to her resolve; the old Emma would never give up so easily. Maybe it's because she is now desperately in love with a crazed psychopath.

This stops her cold. Emma Swan. In love. The thought is almost laughable, but her throat bobs as she tries to clear the giant stone that's lodged itself there. She finds it hard to breathe. Sure, her heart told her every day that Regina didn't touch her or let her kiss her or let her cuddle with her at night that she is falling in too deep for a commitmentphobe, but actually realizing her brain's caught up with her heart? Not good.

With that thought firmly in place, she presses her lips in a thin line and she decides to momentarily forget by going back to sleep, nuzzling her nose into Regina's dark hair. She falls asleep to the smell of apples.

* * *

"Henry's coming over later tonight for dinner."

Emma finds that the mixture of surprise and complete joy that vies for the top spot on Regina's features is almost worth keeping the secret from her.

"Really?"

"Really." Emma smiles at Regina's smile, and she stops herself short. _No. Stop that. You look like a lovesick puppy. Kick out of it, Swan. Be a badass again. _As if on cue, her demeanor changes. "So, what are you planning on making for dinner? Nothing with apples in it, I hope." Her voice is slightly cold, and she doesn't mean to make it like that. Her heart screams at her to abort and just go back to being friendly, but her mind is reverting.

Regina blinks at the change in Emma's tone, but answers the question nevertheless: "I wasn't going to make anything with apples," she snaps. "As for dinner, I was thinking spaghetti, since it's Henry's favorite." Her smile is fond.

"Okay." Emma doesn't look at her at this point, the smile on Regina's face is wreaking havoc on her heart strings, and she can't very well snap out of this being-in-love-with-the-Evil-Queen thing if she can't stop herself from smiling just because Regina is happy.

Regina tilts her head to the side, seemingly confused at Emma's change, but she doesn't comment on it. She's still too happy about Henry coming for dinner to bring her down, Emma guesses.

"What do you want to do in the meantime then, Miss Swan?"

Emma shrugs and makes a noncommittal grunt. There are many things Emma wants to do in the meantime, but none that she'll mention. "Why don't you choose, since you usually do anyway."

"What's your problem, Miss Swan?"

"Same old, same old, really," Emma fibs. "I'm attached to you and I can't get away."

A sort of… pained look crosses Regina's face and as soon as that happens, Emma instantly regrets her words and her stomach coils.

"I—Regina," she tries, wishing she could, for once, be normal and just… be in love. And not revert. And be the person who Regina deserves.

Regina holds up a hand to stop Emma's words short. "Don't, Miss Swan." Her voice is ice cold and Emma feels a chill creep up her spine. "You're right, I suppose. This is a problem. I'm your biggest problem, but I always have been, haven't I? Attached to you, or not." Bitterness seeps into her tone and it does not go by Emma unnoticed.

"Regina—"

"I do believe I said don't," Regina snaps. "Just, shut up. You don't get to be caring and nice to me one day and then be absurdly rude to me the next."

"Coming from you?" Emma snarks, her body turning into a defensive pose in front of Regina. Legs shoulder-width apart, a frown etched into her features. "That's a laugh. At night you cuddle with me and fucking kiss me and make me _feel_ things that I shouldn't fucking feel, and then the next day, you smash everything just by calling me 'Miss Swan.'" Her breath is coming out in labored huffs. "So don't you fucking stand there and feed me that bullshit, Regina."

Regina stiffens, a hard glare on her face. "Why do you care so much, _Emma_?"

"I—" The way Regina says her name makes Emma stop short. "I just do," she mumbles.

"Why?" Regina inquires, pushing herself forwards until Emma's back hits a wall. "Why do you care what I think of you? Why do you care what I call you? You never cared before. In fact, you couldn't care less about me before Henry told you to keep me alive, so why the sudden change?" No response is given, so she growls low in her throat. "_Why_?"

Emma's blue eyes blaze, but she still doesn't respond until a few beats later. "Because," is all she says, and it's quite childish, the way she pokes her bottom lip out and crosses her arms across her chest.

"Because why, Emma? Is it because we're in such close proximity, that you want to have some sort of intimacy? Why do you give any mind to me, Emma? Why, hmm? Is it because you want to rebel? Do you want to divert—"

"It's because I'm in love with you!" Emma screams into Regina's face. "I'm. In. Love. With. You!"

This, of course, makes Regina's jaw drop in a comical way. "You what?"

"I'm in love with you."

"Well, you better stop that."

Emma snorts. "Trust me, if I could, I would." She isn't lying. If she could stop being in love with Regina, she really would jump at the chance. She hasn't been in love with her long, but she knows that by the end of this, her heart is going to be broken. And that scares her more than being in love itself, because she has already been in that situation once.

"You can't just… trot around the way you do, being in love with me." Regina seems affronted, but there's a slight flush on her cheeks.

"Well, the heart wants what the heart wants and it seems like my heart, as fucking stupid as it fucking is, really wants you bad. And no, I don't get it. I won't ever get it. Me and you are not good for each other. I'm good… you're evil. I'm the 'savior,' you're the person who cast the curse that doomed all of us. I don't know why I'm so fucked up that I fell for someone like you."

Regina doesn't say anything in response; she just bites down on her bottom lip. "No one ever wants to love me," Regina murmurs under her breath. "No one ever does love me."

Emma's heart drops when she watches Regina hide her face behind a mask of hair.

"Regina—"

"Don't. You've said enough," Regina says, her face still curtained behind her dark locks.

Emma sighs. "I didn't mean that. I'm just confused," Emma explains. "But now I see what Gold meant by revenge on both of us." Emma notes, in disdain and disappointment in herself, the slump in Regina's shoulders. "Hey…" Emma reaches out to touch Regina and cringes when Regina shrinks back. The blonde takes a step forward and brushes Regina's hair from her face. "Hey, look, I'm sorry. Can we just… be neutral? Have a truce? You know I'm in love with you, as stupid as I was to let you know that… but can't we just… be 'friends.'?"

Regina just looks at Emma and her dark eyes cloud over in some emotion Emma has never seen in the brunette's eyes before… she doesn't know what it is. But before she can think on it, Regina's closing the distance between them and peppering kisses to Emma's face.

Regina herself doesn't know why she's kissing Emma, but when Emma grips Regina's chin and pulls her in for a real kiss, she can't deny the surge of feeling she gets in her stomach; something akin to want and hope. She's finally wanted. She's finally loved.


	7. Chapter 7

a/n1: i'm so sorry for the delay. but alas, another chapter. and it's pretty fluffy. :3 i kind of... perged it out? yeah.  
a/n2: i'm also sorry for the lack of words. i just don't want to give too much away and i want to draw it out a little bit so i can be kind of caught up with the timeline.  
a/n3: i just want ya'll to know i'm so happy and thankful that so many people are reading this. thank you so much.  
a/n4: please review, they're my crack! :D

* * *

_We all want love  
We all want honor  
Nobody wants to pay the asking price_

* * *

Emma's mouth tingles as Regina's kisses turn rough and wet; desperation coming through in the way her lips mash against Emma's. And though Emma's whole body is screaming for release… screaming for her to push Regina roughly against a wall and take her because that's what she's been waiting to do… Her mind, and her heart, tells her she should wait.

"Regina—" she pants, but Regina's being relentless. "Regina!" Her voice is stronger now, more stern as she pulls back and tries to hold the brunette away from her. "Stop."

As the rejection washes over Regina and shows blandly across her face, Emma automatically feels like an asshole. Who rejects a woman like Regina Mills?

"Trust me," Emma says slowly, "it's not that I don't want to. _I do. _I just… I want to make l—" She cuts off. Love or not, Emma has sex. She does not make love. And she's sure Regina doesn't either. But from the images in her mind, making love is what she really wants to do to Regina. Really bad. She wants to make it last, to devour her a woman like Regina deserves to be devoured. Wholly. Fully. Slowly.

"Why?" Regina asks, still looking dejected and sad with her wide brown eyes.

_Oh, she's good._

"Because I've loved someone before and I don't want to fuck it up again by giving in too easily."

Regina bites down on her full bottom lip and _god,_ Emma wishes she wouldn't do that because she looks so desirable and Emma's own mouth is itching to just kiss her once more.

"Since I've come clean about how I feel…" Emma feels almost stupid in her shyness. "Maybe you can tell me how _you_ feel?"

Regina just looks at Emma blankly for a moment. "I don't…" She sighs, nudging her chin. "Can we at least sit while we talk, then?"

Emma feels slightly relieved that Regina is willing to open up about her feelings toward her. "Yeah. Lead the way."

* * *

They've been looking at each other for roughly ten minutes now while sitting in the living room, on the couch. Emma sits on the furthest side, leaning into the crook between the arm and the back, with her legs unceremoniously crossed while Regina looks eloquent with her legs folded gracefully beneath her.

"I wasn't completely lying to you that night about missing physical intimacy, as I am going to guess you thought I was. I am a woman… with _needs._" She says the last two words almost as an afterthought. "But after you told me how you felt, I saw the perfect opportunity to get that intimacy. That's why I kissed you."

Emma's light eyes study Regina's face. She's not lying. "Oh."

"But I can't describe the feeling I felt when you told me you… that you're in love with me. I've never really been loved by anyone before. Other than Daniel."

"Your Stable Boy," Emma murmurs. "He's the true love your mom killed?"

All she gets in response to that is a simple nod. Regina's now looking away from Emma, eyes cast on her clasped hands, which are in her lap. Emma has seen Regina go through many different emotions, sadness included, but Emma reckons this is the saddest she has ever seen her.

"It's okay, you know."

Regina looks up at Emma almost a second later. "What?"

"Not loving me back. It's okay. I know it's probably harder for you to let someone in. Before I got here, I never had anyone to lose. You lost so many people, and I didn't understand that until now."

Regina's face twists slightly into an unreadable expression. "Why do you suddenly understand?"

"Because… because I could tell from the look on your face when I told you how I felt." Emma waits for a reaction, and when she doesn't get one, she continues. "There was surprise. But I also saw a bit of… adoration? And, even if you don't admit it out loud or anything, I know you were a little happy."

"How could you possibly know that?" Regina snaps, a bit irritably. Emma guesses that she hates being viewed as vulnerable.

"Because someone hasn't loved you in _so_ long. I had the same feeling you did when I first got to town and Mary Margaret—Snow—and I were getting closer and became friends. Family. And the look on her face when she realized who I am…I've seen love shown like that before. And I felt the same way you did, probably. Because I was finally loved."

"After New Years, you'll get over the absurd notion of loving me, Miss Swan. If you even truly do. Love and lust are so easily confused."

Emma's sure Regina doesn't mean it to insult her—for once—but Emma feels her blood boil at the words. "Trust me, Regina," she grounds out," I know the difference."

"We'll see when we're separated, dear."

"That's why I wanted to wait," Emma admits.

Regina looks at Emma with that cute, quizzical face. "Pardon me?"

"I didn't want to have sex with you yet because I knew you'd jump to that and because I want to wait until we're out of this—" Emma shakes their hands, gaining an annoyed look from Regina. "To prove that it _is_ love I feel for you, not _just_ lust."

Emma feels a small swell of pride bubble up inside her when she watches the edges of Regina's mouth tip upward, lightening the brunette's face. Before this moment, she's never felt like a savior. Now, that's exactly who she knows she is.

* * *

The next day, after a night of comfortable silence, Emma and Regina are in the kitchen. They are just finishing up lunch when there's a resounding knock on the door. Almost immediately, Regina's face lights up and puts a small smile on Emma's face in response.

They all but run—or rather, Regina all but runs—to the door and she swings it open.

"Hi, Henry," Regina whispers.

"Hey, Kid," Emma says right after with a firm look of encouragement to Henry, nudging her chin toward Regina that screams, 'give her a hug!'

Henry just smiles back at them. "Hi, moms!" He hugs both Regina and Emma, wrapping his growing arms around his mothers as if it is the most natural thing he could ever do. He, being the smart ten year old boy that he is, notices them both stiffen and smiles sheepishly at Emma, hiding it by burying his face in Regina's shirt.

"I've missed you," Regina manages as Henry pulls away from them both. "I know we talked about how it would be better if you lived with Emma's parents while we're like this…" Regina sighs and Emma winces as she remembers them shipping Henry off to Snow.

Emma senses where this is heading. "I'll talk to Snow and James and see if they'll be willing to let him stay here again. After all, we're getting along fine." _For the most part_, Emma's mind reminds her.

Henry and Emma both watch as Regina's face breaks into one of her earth shattering, completely stunning, mega-watt smile and they grin in return, wearing the same expression on their faces.

"What's for lunch?" Henry sniffs the air and Emma notes the scent of what they just finished cooking—what Regina cooked, really.

"Hotdogs, French fries, and pasta," Regina and Emma both respond in unison. It's oddly domestic.

Henry grins. "My favorite!"

"That's why we made it, dear," Regina says softly as she reaches out and brushes a hand against his cheek, smiling as he leans into it. "Why don't you go get yours and we'll join you in a minute."

Henry nods and races off, leaving Emma standing alone with Regina.

"Thank you," Regina says quietly.

Emma tilts her head to the side in minor confusion. "For what, 'Gina?" The nickname was a complete mistake, a spur of the moment.

The blonde's happy Regina doesn't comment on it. For now. "For agreeing to talk to snow and James. It's-it's really nice of you. Thank you."

"Well, I—" Emma blushes at the sudden praise and smiles radiantly at Regina. "It's no big. We're his parents and as much as I know my parents love looking after him, I want him around us all the time." Emma's not sure she should've said that aloud because that makes her love for Regina more real than she's ever felt it; makes her feel like she wants to be a family with this woman.

But when Regina leans forward and kisses Emma so sweetly on the edge of her mouth, pulling back with that smile of hers on her face, Emma can't find it in her to care.


	8. Chapter 8

a/n1: so sad to say this fic has come to an end.  
a/n2: this chapter is basically all fluff and cuteness. :)  
a/n3: i hope you enjoyed it, and i hope you read the other fics i post/will post.  
a/n4: thank you so much for sticking by me. i know it was probably a pain to follow a fic who hardly updated in great times. but thank you so much, i'm very grateful. :)  
a/n5: please review. its my crack!

* * *

_In the end, everyone ends up alone  
Loosing her, the only one who's ever known  
Who I am, who I'm not and who I wanna be  
No way to know how long she will be next to me_

* * *

Emma and Regina are eating lunch when Regina blurts, "I think you should move in." At the gaping look Regina receives from the blonde, Regina backpedals. "I meant for Henry's sake." No lie detected from Emma's superpower. "He needs to keep this sense of…" She pauses to find the right word. "He needs to keep this sense of normalcy. We created a routine, and like me, he likes to stick to it.

Emma grins.

"What is it, Miss Swan?"

"I think you want me to move in so you can see that I was telling you the truth about… everything."

Regina curls her upper lip. "That's absurd."

"But completely true." Emma takes a shuddery breath, swallowing down her fear of commitment. Regina's worth it. They're worth it. "It's beyond cute, and I'll move in. I'll tell Snow tonight at the New Years party at Granny's." She smirks slyly at Regina. "I hope you wear something pretty."

"I always do," Regina snaps, playfully.

"I know. Tonight will be in my memory forever. Promise."

Regina seems to suck in a breath, but she leans over to kiss Emma on the side of her mouth.

Yes, being with her for the rest of whatever life Emma has left will definitely be worth it.

* * *

"You look gorgeous, Regina," Emma whines as she watches the brunette put a shade of deep red lipstick—Emma's personal favorite—on plump lips. "Really, you do. Stop with the makeup, you look better than me without it anyway."

"I know, dear," Regina jokes, pouting her lips at Emma, their eyes lingering in the mirror. "I hope tonight goes as planned." It looks like a struggle for Regina to admit this.

Emma tilts her head, blonde curls (tamed, for once) moving to the left. "What part of it?" she asks curiously, genuinely wondering what it is Regina truly is worried about in terms of tonight. "Like—"

"All of it, Emma." Emma's surprised when Regina turns, and clasps their connected hands together. "I've gotten used to this, I've gotten used to you. I don't want this to all be over and then you to turn around and leave me."

"Oh." Emma's mouth forms a perfect O shape. "That's not gonna happen, 'Gina. We've been through this. I love you for you, and who gives a fuck if we happened only because of whatever revenge Rumple was planning on you. Point is, we're here. We're staying. We're moving in together. You're my _girlfriend_."

Regina gapes a little bit at the term. "I am?"

"Well, I love you. I kiss you, you kiss me. We can't keep our hands off each other. You cook for me and I enjoy it. We look after our son together. So yes, girlfriends seems like the right word to call us." Emma grins at the shell-shocked expression on Regina's face.

"Who knew I'd be the one to tie you down."

Images flood through Emma's mind.

"Metaphorically, of course," Regina scowls.

Emma just laughs. "I didn't expect it either, but all the best things come at unexpected times, right?"

"You sound like a cheesy romance novel," Regina deadpans.

"Good. Now come on, gorgeous, I want to show you off."

Emma's eyes rake appreciatively down Regina's body, clad in a deep purple dress with a playful slit in the side and a slightly plunging neckline. In all honestly, it was Emma's idea for her to wear the dress. But never did Emma's imagination have her looking as… _stunning_ as she does.

"I'm sure people will love that," Regina says dryly.

"Fuck them."

"You really need to filter your bad language after you move in," Regina warns as she turns toward the mirror for a moment then back toward Emma again. "You look beautiful yourself, by the way. You never give yourself enough credit."

Emma's heart tells her she never has loved Regina more.

"Thank you," Emma says quietly, afraid she'll start crying.

Emma Swan does not cry.

"Don't get emotional, Miss Swan. I was just saying what I think. Isn't that what '_girlfriends_' do?" Emma's not sure what's more comical, Regina still calling Emma by her surname, Regina's facial expression, or the fact that Regina just used air quotes. Emma goes for the ladder and she chuckles, eliciting a glare from Regina.

"Come on, girlfriend, let's get going."

* * *

Emma and Regina walk in, hand-in-hand, gaining stares from everyone. Not just people gaping at Regina, whom they're only seen in regular work attire for the last twenty eight years, but openly gawking at them as a pair.

"Snow, James? Can I talk to you two?" Emma asks quietly after they've been inside Granny's for a while. The pair leads James and Snow to a corner booth.

"What is it, Em?" Snow asks curiously, looking at Regina with narrowed eyes.

Emma takes a deep breath, and when she opens her mouth to speak, nothing comes out. She feels momentarily embarrassed: she's an adult. She's been on her own for so long, she doesn't know how to tell them… how does one tell their parents about this stuff?

"Miss Swan will be moving in with me once we're… disconnected," Regina says as Emma opens and closes her mouth so repeatedly, she begins to look like a fish out of water. "Also, Emma has told me this afternoon while we were getting ready that we are _girlfriends_, so I assume you'd like to know that tidbit of information as well."

Snow and James just… stare at Regina. "I'm sorry?" Snow asks, eyes wide. James just looks on with a wide-eyed-dopey look, his mouth hanging open in shock.

As Regina opens her mouth to repeat herself, a squeeze on her knee stops her. She looks at Emma with a single eyebrow risen.

"I think you heard her, Snow," Emma says. "And she's not lying. She didn't coerce me. I'm the one who… I was the one who brought the feelings to head. Actually, it was completely by accident."

"By accident?" James asked.

Emma's about to respond before Regina does, "yes, Emma blurted out how she's in love with me as we're arguing. It was quite comical, really, and very sweet." She gives a fake smile toward Snow, earning a glare from Emma. Regina actually looks sheepish for a moment.

"Why her?"

"As if I chose this, Snow."

Snow sighs. "Are you sure you really love her and you just don't want to… you know…"

"Actually, I tried to get her to do that, but she stopped me," Regina supplies. "Said something about how she wanted to wait, so she could prove to me it's _love _and not _lust_. Ouch, Miss Swan!" Emma's squeezing Regina's knee so tightly that there's now a red mark on the skin. Regina looks at her with contempt before rubbing it. "That was quite unnecessary."

"Let me make one thing clear, Regina," Snow growls as she leans over the table, "if you hurt my daughter, I will kill you like I originally planned twenty nine years ago. Don't test me."

Regina's stare is fierce, no longer playful. "I won't hurt her," she snarls in response. This surprises the other three sitting at the table, including Snow herself.

"If you do—" James starts.

"I already heard," Regina drawls, the look dropping from her features. "I will be slain, probably from the sword you're so fond of. Or… arrows, was it, Snow? Quite cruel, it was." Regina looks at Emma and nods.

Emma's eyes widen. "You tried to kill Regina with arrows?"

"She didn't succeed."

"Clearly not," James grinds out.

"Enough!" Emma yells, loud enough for people in the diner to look over at their table. "Go on with your party, mind your own business." People go back to doing what they were doing before Emma accidentally disturbed them. "You three need to stop. You're worse than Henry."

She doesn't get a response from anyone, but when Ruby yells, "TWO MINUTES UNTIL NEW YEARS!" Emma and Regina get up and walk to the middle of the diner.

* * *

"Five… four… three… two… one."

Emma's about to look down at her and Regina's wrists, but she momentarily forgets when the brunette grabs her by the sleeves of her dress and pulls her in for a kiss. Only when Emma is able to raise her arm without any extra weight—being Regina's arm—does she know that the enchantment really is broken.

Without preamble, Emma's arms wrap around Regina's neck and they ignore all the people that are undoubtedly staring at them in shock.

They pull back in what seems like an eternity later, and from the corner of Emma's eye, she can see Ruby smirking and looking on with a grin. She can also see everyone else looking somewhat… angry? She doesn't know, nor does she care.

"So, do you believe me yet?"

Regina only kisses her. "I have something to tell you," Regina says, looking younger and far happier than Emma's seen her since she's known her.

"What?"

"_Iloveyou_," Regina mumbles, almost embarrassed. She clears her throat and pecks Emma's lips before allowing their foreheads to rest against each other.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you?" Emma whispers.

Regina leans in closer and presses her lips to Emma's ear. "Don't push me, Miss Swan. It was hard enough to say that. I've only said that word to two people in my life before."

"Okay," Emma says, softening and bringing Regina back in for a kiss.

"It's all cool that you two are together and everything but _ew_!" Henry shrieks.

Regina and Emma jump apart, happy when there's nothing tying them together anymore. A second later and everyone is back enjoying the party, some even kissing their own loved ones.

"Hey, kid?"

"Yeah, Emma?"

"Better look away."

She pulls Regina in for another kiss, completely content with the fact that she can now do this—and more, later—with the woman she fell in love with.

"Thank you, Mr. Gold," Emma snarks as she pulls back once more before going in for another kiss.

_Yep, completely content._


End file.
